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Ask old-school San Francisco rockers about Faith No More, and you'll elicit that swoony glaze in the eyes of nostalgic bliss. Pioneers of genre mashing, FNM blasted onto the burgeoning alt-rock scene of the mid '80s with a fresh, brash, crazy combo of pounding grooves, soaring melody, and over-the-top lyrics. The band's potent songs fused extreme metal and rap with eerie film soundtracks for an uncommon mix that captured the mad energy of the times.
Fans remember the band's second singer Mike Patton as a teenage prodigy and demented genius whose voice spanned octaves and a timbral range never before heard in pop music. He was also a quirky fuh- reeeak who would flail on stage, even roll in broken glass, just to be doing something with his body. Despite monster touring with Metallica and Guns 'n' Roses at the height of their popularity, Faith No More were never comfortable as stadium rockers.
To celebrate the imminent release of "Superhero," the band's first new album in 18 years, FNM will be playing premier concert halls i.e., venues just large enough to contain their massive sound.
Catch them if you can on Sunday and Monday, April 19 and 20, at 8pm at the Warfield, 982 Market St, SF. These shows are "sold out," which is scalper Stubhub's dream at $47-$352 per ticket. Go to thewarfieldtheatre.com for more info.
